Vegan Peppermint Mocha Cake – With a moist, peppermint and coffee infused chocolate cake, to die for peppermint frosting and crushed candy canes! The perfect cake for Christmas.

close up slice of cake with fork taking a bite

This Vegan Peppermint Mocha Cake tastes like a peppermint mocha in cake form! If you’ve made my Best Vegan Chocolate Cake, you will be happy to hear this cake is very similar.

Instead of adding hot water, I subbed hot coffee plus a little peppermint extract. The incredibly delicious frosting is a version of my Vegan Vanilla Frosting recipe, with peppermint extract added.

Sprinkle some crushed candy canes on top and you are ready to celebrate!

whole peppermint mocha cake with a slice being removed

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piece of cake on a white plate with crushed candy canes

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close up slice of cake with fork taking a bite

Vegan Peppermint Mocha Cake

Servings: 16 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Author: Nora Taylor
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Vegan Peppermint Mocha Cake - With a moist, peppermint and coffee infused chocolate cake, to die for peppermint frosting and crushed candy canes! The perfect cake for Christmas.
5 stars (34 ratings)
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Ingredients 

The Cake

  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or soy)
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup dark cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
  • 1 cup hot coffee

Peppermint Frosting

  • 1 cup vegan butter, softened to room temperature
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 2-3 tablespoons almond or soy milk
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
  • 1/4-1/2 cup crushed candy canes
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the Chocolate Cake

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease two 8-inch cake pans. I also line them with parchment rounds for easy removal of the cakes later.
  • Measure 1 cup unsweetened almond milk and add the tablespoon of vinegar to it. Stir slightly and set aside to curdle.
  • In a large bowl, add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk well to combine.
  • Now add the oil, applesauce, vanilla, peppermint and almond milk/vinegar mixture. Mix on medium speed with a hand mixer until well combined. 
  • Lower the speed and carefully pour in the hot coffee, continuing to mix into the cake batter until combined. The batter will seem very runny at this point; that is how it should be, trust me!
  • Divide the batter evenly between your cake pans. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. After 10 minutes of cooling in the pan, carefully remove the cakes from the pans and let cool completely before frosting.

For the Frosting & Decorating

  • In a large bowl, beat the vegan butter with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar, about 1/2 cup at a time, until all the powdered sugar is mixed in.
  • With the mixer on low-medium speed, add the non-dairy milk, 1 tablespoon at a time. Add the vanilla and peppermint as well, and increase the speed to high. Beat for about 30 seconds, until light and fluffy.
  • If the frosting seems too thick, you can add more non-dairy milk, 1 tablespoon at a time. If the frosting is too thin and runny, simply add more powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
  • Frost the cake and decorate with crushed candy canes as desired. I like to put a sprinkle of crushed candy canes in the middle layer of the cake as well. Enjoy!

Notes

  1. I recommend using dark cocoa powder, such as Hershey's Special Dark if you can, it makes the cake darker and so pretty. But regular cocoa powder will work as well, your cake will just be lighter in color.
  2. I used Earth Balance brand of vegan butter. I prefer the sticks, but the tub will work. You could also use another brand such as Melt, Miyokos or even vegetable shortening if you can't find vegan butter.
  3. I found crushed candy canes in the bulk section at my local store, but you can crush them yourself using a ziplock bag and something heavy, like a cup. Just pound away until you have little candy cane pieces.

Nutrition

Calories: 393kcal, Carbohydrates: 60g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Sodium: 365mg, Potassium: 140mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 45g, Vitamin A: 539IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 50mg, Iron: 1mg

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